Planted your veg yet?

[dan_bo]

The undiluted stuff?
I used to use the diluted stuff to discourage the local mutts from crapping in the front garden...they dont like it up the hooter

I've heard stories (on R4 and the like) about jeyes fluid not being too healthy for smaller mammals in general- It gives cats fish tits and so on...........I don't use it anymore.

 

[longers]

Got my name down for allotment place but the waiting list is 4 yrs...

I've been on a waiting list for nearly four years . No end in sight. Dead mans plots I think.

I've had good success with tomatoes in pots and potatoes in Gorilla tubs (large plastic trugs) and various salady type things in pots in the meantime.

 

[rich p]

I've heard stories (on R4 and the like) about jeyes fluid not being too healthy for smaller mammals in general- It gives cats fish tits and so on...........I don't use it anymore.

Che???

 

[dan_bo]

Ever seen a fish with tits?

it's definitely not right. Even more wrong therefore would be a cat with the tits of a fish, quando?

 

[summerdays]

Hmm... I'm going to have a go at savoy cabbage ... apart from anything that's one of my strong memories of my grandpa in his veg plot behind the cow byre squashing the catepillars in his fingers on his (ordinary) cabbages.

From friends who had allotments it sounds like last year was good for somethings but particulary bad for tomatoes and potatoes.

 

[User482]

Hmm... I'm going to have a go at savoy cabbage ... apart from anything that's one of my strong memories of my grandpa in his veg plot behind the cow byre squashing the catepillars in his fingers on his (ordinary) cabbages.

From friends who had allotments it sounds like last year was good for somethings but particulary bad for tomatoes and potatoes.

Mine were an unmitigated disaster. Savaged by caterpillars, snails & slugs. Unless you're going to remove the little blighters every day I wouldn't bother.

 

[User482]

Slugs aren't a problem once brassicas get going. You can easily stop cabbage whites with a physical barrier like fine plastic netting. You make a framework of bamboo with upturned plastic bottles on top and it's easy to keep in place. It looks a bit "the Good Life" though, so I'd only do it on the allotment, not on my kitchengarden (which is outside my kitchen).

Yeah, it was my kitchen garden! Oddly, I didn't have a huge problem with pests on the broccoli.

 

[yello]

Right little gardener's world here innit! Good stuff, as I'm a newbie to gardening and will probably have a few questions... any chance of a 'allotment garden' forum??

My garden is sodden at the moment. I dug the new veg patches months ago in preparation for planting around about now but whenever I think about it we get another biblical downpour. It'll be June before anything goes in at this rate!

 

[rich p]

The bloke in the next allotment had a raised carrot bed built out of wood something like 14" high, 6' long and 6" wide for a row of carrots. He said carrot fly can only fly 12" off the ground and he had a fine crop.

 

[summerdays]

We made raised beds - and didn't get any carrot fly last year (but then there were so few carrots they probably couldn't smell them). We did the raised beds as our soil is quite heavy clay. We also gravelled the bits inbetween and didn't get that many slugs - well in that one part of the garden.

 

[fossyant]

Seedlings on the go, greenhouse cleaned out, tidied up and ready to go. Big new veg patch created next to greenhouse. Strawberries re-planted in various tubs and a new raised bed. The rest is the kids and my wife's work... I do the digging and stuff - they do the planting !

 

[domd1979]

Unfortunately my greenhouse is still mid-construction.... Got the base sorted now and the slabs moved into correct position after a slight measurement error on my part... Hopefully not too much more time needed to get it all built now. Its been a kit of parts in my garage since September!! One of my bargain purchases of last year - its 6' x 8' aluminium, bought it for 20 quid from someone at work.

 

[bobg]

My runner beans ALWAYS got eaten by slugs, had the growing tips munched off even when 5 foot high, or failed to set... then I discovered the Cobra variety ... wonderful, if you see 'em give then a try
Are you allowed chickens on your allotment User482?? The council wont let our society and I so want to have a try... the garden's too small

 

[User482]

We made raised beds - and didn't get any carrot fly last year (but then there were so few carrots they probably couldn't smell them). We did the raised beds as our soil is quite heavy clay. We also gravelled the bits inbetween and didn't get that many slugs - well in that one part of the garden.

Ah, the dreaded bristol clay. I double-dug my whole veg patch, and backfilled with manure and sand. It's now a moderately heavy clay...

 

[cisamcgu]

I am thinking of created a raised bed to grow vegetables (I'm a gardening virgin ) - but everything I read about it stresses the importance of the wood not being treated with anything that might harm the veg, and therefore me (once I eat it) - does anyone know the name of a vegetable "safe" wood preservative ?

I asked Cuprinol, and they replied very quickly, but sadly in the negative
Dear Mr McGuiness

Thank you for your email.

None of our products are considered foodsafe enough I'm afraid


I hope this information is useful. If you have any queries or need any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me at the Technical Advice Centre on 0870 444 1111.

Yours sincerely

Kay Tumber
Customer Advisor (Cuprinol Hammerite Polycell)


Andrew